This invention relates to security arrangements, and more specifically, to methods and apparatus for communicating between customer premises equipment, (CPE) security/person monitoring alarm sensor devices, and monitoring stations.
Problem
A common type of security system has customer premises equipment, (CPE) for detecting security/personal monitoring problems, (unauthorized entry, fire and/or smoke detection, flooding, heart attack, etc.). In response to the detection of one of these events, the detection system automatically dials a telephone number to an appropriate security monitoring station, and transmits to that station a signal, or series of signals to identify the alarmed event, (date, time, device, etc.).
A problem with this type of arrangement is that in order to serve a large number of customers, a large number of lines or trunks to the security monitoring station are required in order to handle the maximum number of simultaneously occurring alarm conditions.
Solution
The above problem is solved, and an advance is made over the teachings of the prior art in accordance with this invention wherein the alarm message is captured in the end office serving the customer who has the sensing device, and wherein equipment in that switch converts the message received from the sensing device into one or more packets of data for transmission to the appropriate monitoring station. Advantageously, the holding time of these packets is much less than the holding time of the prior art connection from the customer premises equipment to the monitoring station. Advantageously, individual call set-up between the switch and the monitoring station for each alarm condition is avoided. Advantageously, a plurality of the alarm packets can be stored for transmission with minimum delay. Advantageously, this arrangement makes it economically feasible to send frequent, (e.g., hourly), xe2x80x9call seems wellxe2x80x9d, (ASW) indications from the CPE. The result of all of these advantages is that only one or two data links from the end office switch to the monitoring station are required to serve a very large number of customer premises having security devices.
In accordance with one preferred embodiment, the line monitoring feature detects call events such as originations, partial dials, and disconnects for all monitored lines. The line monitoring feature can then be used to detect specifically the occurrence of an origination and partial dial, without a call set-up request, to pass this information to a software implemented security monitor. The switch based security monitor checks to ensure that a special prefix, such as xe2x80x9c*222xe2x80x9d, is at the beginning, and a special suffix, (e.g., #) at the end of the digit string in order to filter out the alarm events. If such a digit string is detected, normal error routines are suspended, (except for an overall time-out), and the balance of the digit string is examined in order to determine the appropriate monitoring station, (Fire House, Police Headquarters, Hospital, personal contacts, etc.), and converts the contents of the digit string, describing the alarm indication into one or more packets for transmission to the remote security monitoring station. Advantageously, this system can then take advantage of existing carefully designed, and continually updated software, to perform the job of isolating alarm indication messages.
The CPE can be arranged to send a xe2x80x9clast gaspxe2x80x9d alarm message prior to shutting down because of a failure in the equipment, for example, a low battery condition in the alarm sensor, (perhaps of a heart monitor). The equipment is continuously monitored internally, and when a failure is detected, the equipment for sending out a xe2x80x9clast gaspxe2x80x9d alarm message is automatically triggered prior to the CPE alarm detecting equipment being shut down. Advantageously, this arrangement can result in the alarm bureau being notified and being requested to send a repair craftsperson to fix the CPE.